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A reception was held in the Kremlin to honour Great Patriotic War veterans on the occasion of Victory Day

May 9, 2003, Moscow

About 500 guests from Russia and the CIS countries attended.

Speaking on the occasion, President Putin said that May 9 was not just a date or something to remember. On that day the peoples of the Soviet Union won a great victory over barbarity and violence, fear and pain.

The victory came as the main prize for all Soviet citizens, but commanded a very high price – in losses and privations, unbearable trials and ordeals.

In 1945, persistence, fortitude and a love of the homeland helped to overwhelm the enemy and gain the upper hand on Nazism. But all these qualities are also needed now when building a new Russia and addressing the tasks of peaceful life facing the country.

The President raised a toast to “a generation of victors – Great Patriotic War soldiers, to peace and wellbeing on Russian soil.”

May 9, 2003, Moscow